Childhood's End
by Neptune Butterfly
Summary: Pre Series: Childhood can't last forever. You have to grow up someday. Ed, Al, and Winry try to hold on to it as long as they can, but like all good things, they always end too soon. Light romance and a bit of everything else.
1. Birthday Present

Childhood's End

By: Neptune Butterfly

Prologue: Birthday Present

Ed could see it perfectly in his mind. The metal was smooth and shiny, not to mention in flawless proportion. He didn't have to look at the wood carving book anymore to get it right. He borrowed the book from Winry's, and it belonged to her father, who did wood carving as a hobby. Since he and his wife went off to help as surgeons for the military in Ishbal, Ed thought maybe he and Al could make something that reminded Winry of them.

The hunk of metal sat in the middle of the circle. Ed figured that it would look much better than wood. Winry was beginning to learn auto mailing from her grandmother, so it would be very appropriate. His brother Al sat beside him holding his own attempt in his hands. It was supposed to be a pig, but it came out lopsided and lumpy. It looked more like a three-legged horse with a curly tail.

Ed's tongue stuck out in concentration as he readied his hand. Al stared at Ed's lump with equal concentration, hoping it will turn out better than his. He knew his brother was very good with detail.

There was a flash of light when Ed's hands touched the circle. Both of them tried to blink away the spots in their eyes and see if it turned out right. A cute metallic horse now stood were the shapeless chunk of metal was. It was perfect, just as Ed imagined it would be.

Ed grinned at his work and took off for the front door with it in his hands. Al followed after him asking to wait for him. Ed just had to show his mom. Not only would she be proud of him, she could tell him if Winry would like it. Ed wanted this to be the best birthday present ever.

-----

'This had to be the cruddiest day ever,' Ed thought. First, Al had to mention their dad in front of mom, then they go over to Winry's house to find out that her parents had been killed in a surprise attack, and then on the way back home they both began thinking of what it would be like without their mom and they cry their eyes out the whole afternoon. Somehow they managed to tell their mom about what happened and now they're back at Winry's with their mom discussing funeral plans with her grandma.

Aunty Pinako was very much like a grandmother to Ed and Al. She was smaller than them, but she was also very tough. She has now lost both her sons and daughter-in-law and yet Pinako was able to hold herself together for Winry's sake.

Winry had finally stopped crying and was sitting still on the sofa in the living room with puffy red eyes not focusing on anything. Ed and Al kept looking at her from the kitchen where their mom and Pinako were talking. Neither of them paid attention to what was being said.

Ed decided to walk over to Winry. He didn't know what to say to her. The last time they were here she lashed out at Al when he tried to comfort her, and Auntie Pinako chased them out for mentioning human transmutation.

"Hey, um, Winry?" Ed tried to smile and held a hand out as if to tap her on the shoulder but pulled back when she didn't show any response.

He noticed in her hands were the metal animals. Ed couldn't remember if he and Al left them here. They were in such a rush to leave and avoid a bashing from Auntie Pinako. Winry's grip on them were so tight her little hands turned white.

Ed reached out again, this time for her hands. Winry finally noticed when he touched her.

"Oh, Ed," her voice choked. Winry's eyes welled up just when she thought she didn't have anymore tears. Her head was pounding from crying all day.

Ed knelt down beside Winry as she started crying again. She left the metal toys in her lap so she could cover her eyes. Her sobs were soft and sweet but so sad that it hurt to listen. Ed hated to see her like this. It was worse than seeing Al or even hear himself cry.

Al came up beside him. "We're still here, Winry. It'll be okay. We can take care of you." Al hoped for a better reaction than what he got earlier that day.

"But, w-what about, Mommy and D-daddy? W-why can they b-be here too?" Winry knew it was silly to ask. Her parents were gone for good. It was sweet of Al and his brother to be there for her, but they couldn't replace her mom and dad.

"They're still here."

"W-where?"

Al braved a smile. Ed looked at him strangely, trying to figure out what he's after. "Inside you."

Winry looked up at him from her palms. "How?" She sniffed.

"Always remember them, and they'll always know where you are."

"They're d-dead, Al. There's n-no w-way they can kn-now." Winry let her head drop back into her hands. The front door opened and shut as her grandmother took Mrs. Elric outside. The room was now quiet except for her small sobs.

Ed agreed with Winry. "Al, I think you should stop."

But Al just kept on smiling. "Just because you can't see something, doesn't mean it's not there."

His brother got up. "Al, stop. You're not helping."

"Neither are you. What's wrong with thinking about it that way anyway?"

"Because it's not true! How can anyone still be here without a body!"

"Who says they couldn't!"

"Stop it, both of you!" Winry had stopped crying. "Please, Ed, it's okay if Al wants to think that. There ain't anything wrong with it."

The brothers looked at their feet, feeling bad about getting into a fight in front of her like that. Winry got up holding the toys in her arms and silently walked up to her room leaving the boys by themselves.

"Thanks a lot Ed!" Al said accusingly. "This is worse than when you said there was a way to bring her parents back to life! You should say you're sorry to her!"

"I was just telling the truth Al! The only way Winry could see them again is if you make bodies for them!"

"You always think you know everything, do you!" With that, Al stomped outside where their mom was.

Ed couldn't think of anything to retaliate except make a face and yell, "You don't know everything either, Al! Hmph!"

-----

Winry curled up on her bed and hugged her presents. A lamp above her new workbench in the corner gave very little light to the rest of the room. Outside the sun had just set, but with the curtains drawn it hardly made any difference.

There was no way she was going to get any sleep tonight. Her birthday party was the day after tomorrow, but she didn't know if she could bear to leave her room again. She hoped Al was right. Her mom and dad must be around here somewhere. They couldn't just disappear.

If only she knew if what Ed said was true too. It's been nearly two years since she had seen her parents. She had no idea it would've been her last time. But it was forbidden to bring people back from the dead. And what if it meant hurting someone? Winry couldn't think of anything that would be enough to match the price of a life except another life. She was no alchemist, but she knew the law of equivalent exchange.

"Mom...Dad..." Winry hugged her toys a little tighter and closed her eyes to keep from crying again.

* * *

A/N: Hello! I'm starting up again after being gone for a year and decided to tackle the FMA section. I have some stories going in the Trigun section as well.I'm probably crazy doing so many stories at once, but after a year I'm itching to write some fun stuff again. This story is sort of a companion to 'River of Mud'. It starts later and focuses on Ed, Al, Winry. There will be a couple of places where the two stories meet. If your looking for heavier romance check the other one out. I hope you enjoyed the opener! 


	2. Crushes and Special Promises

Childhood's End

By: Neptune Butterfly

Crushes and Special Promises

Pinako opened the curtains to let the sunlight in. She looked down at her granddaughter curled up on the bed still clutching the metal animals the Elric boys made. Its been two days since the news, and Winry still hadn't come out of her room.

"Winry?"

Winry moved but didn't wake up.

Pinako gently rubbed her back. "Winry, it's time to get up. You have a party today, and everybody will be here. Don't you want to see them?"

Her granddaughter opened her eyes and just laid there staring at the toys she was holding. Pinako sighed and helped her up pulling the covers away and letting the metal animals fall out of Winry's hands as she sat her up.

Winry's hair looked liked it never seen a brush, and her eyes still looked red and sore from the constant crying she did yesterday. She yawned and tried to resist the urge to fall back down and sleep.

Pinako did her best to straighten up her hair. "I have a bath ready. I'm sure you'll feel better once you get in it."

"Grandma," Winry's voice croaked from too much crying, "I don't wanna…" She whimpered and her eyes welled up again.

"Now don't you start that. No more. I want you to get up and get dressed. You'll make yourself sick!" Pinako pulled her up to a standing position and led her to the bathroom. She helped Winry out of her nightgown and into the tub.

Winry's sore body loosened up as she sat in the warm sudsy water. She let her grandmother gently wash her off and shampoo her hair. She didn't even mind it when her face and ears were rubbed red by the coarse washcloth she hated so much. Still half asleep, she slipped as she climbed out when they were done.

Pinako made her sit down on a low stool to dry her off. "Now, don't you feel better?"

"Unn-nn-mm" Winry tried to open her eyes up more. The brightness of the bathroom hurt her head, and the intense rubbing of her scalp somehow made her feel a little dizzy.

When the rubbing stopped she felt the tug of a comb attempting to unknot her hair which didn't help with the headache. It took a good half-hour to smooth it all out. By then, Winry was wide awake.

Pinako handed Winry her nightgown. "Now, go try on your new dress. The Elrics will be here soon to help set everything up."

Winry only nodded and headed towards her room without bothering to put her nightgown back on. Pinako watched her to make sure she was awake enough to find her way. She was getting tired of the one-sided conversations. This morning was the first time Winry talked to her directly in a long while. She hoped that interacting with the other children will help Winry come out more.

-----

The cake was baking nicely in the oven when Trisha and her boys arrived with the decorations. Ed and Al were dressed up a little more than usual with brand new pairs of pants and shoes and collared shirts. Al's shirt was blue and Ed's was red with white stripes on their sleeves and sides. If it weren't for the hair and eyes they could've been twins.

Den, who had been in hiding for the past two days since Winry didn't feel like playing at all, bounded down the stairs from his secret place in the hall closet barking and wagging his tail. His metal limb made a heavy thump with every step.

Pinako opened the front door and Den pushed passed her to greet the boys. She grabbed his collar and pulled him back. "Control yourself Den! Come on in! Don't you two look nice."

Ed had his pout face on which Al called the angry potato, and when it got red the angry tomato. Ed felt itchy in his new shirt and wished that he could find a way to burn it with alchemy. Right now, though, he had to endure the scratchiness and look good for Winry's sake.

Al pushed him through the door. "C'mon Ed! Quit pouting!" Ed grudgingly marched to the living area followed by his brother and Den.

"Be nice, Al." Trisha handed some of the decorations to Pinako. "I got purple and pink streamers for the birthday girl!" She carried a banner and a couple of presents in with her. "How she doing?"

"I managed to get her out of bed, but she refuses to talk much." Pinako set the streamers down on the kitchen and went to the oven to check on the cake. Seeing that the mix was rising nicely, she got out the icing tools and sprinkles. "Boys, help your mother with the streamers!"

Ed laid on the couch and rolled around hoping to alleviate a terrible itch. Den was on the floor copycatting him. Al was having a giggle fit over their likeness. "Ed!" Trisha scolded as she entered the living room, "Get up! You'll wrinkle your clothes! Both of you, help me with this banner."

"But Mom! Its…so…itchy!" Ed rubbed his back into the cushions even harder.

"No whining. Get up now!"

Ed grumbled and got up and stuck his tongue at the still giggling Al before he went over to help his mother.

-----

Al finished up icing the cake with Aunty Pinako, and Ed placed the last few streamers on the railing of the staircase just as the rest of the guest began to arrive. Nelly's family was first, since they were the closest aside from the Elrics. Addison, Nelly's four year old sister, just recently had her own birthday party and was still telling everybody how old she was, rushing around with her brown pigtails swinging. Nelly was sick of it by now. Her sister woke her up every morning since the party telling her. She was just glad that Addison had other people to bug now.

Next came Karl and his father who was still sweaty from the fields. Ed always said that he smelled like bread because of the baking his wife did in their house all the time. She was sick today, so she couldn't come. Johanna and her little brother Erik came with their dad too. Their mother had to stay home with their newborn sister. The twins Sammy and Tommy and their parents showed up next.

Then Felix arrived with a bunch of new jokes he desperately wanted to tell Winry. He was too impatient to wait for her to come down, so he started off a round of knock-knock jokes he just learned with the twins and Al. Ed didn't enjoy them very much. He kept thinking about the itch on his back and how nice it would be to get back on the couch and scratch it.

Within an hour most of the kids from the local school made it to the house. There were roughly thirty something people in all. Many of the kids came in groups with a parent, and the parents who did come brought plenty of food and offered to set up folding chairs and tables outside.

Tons of streamers fluttered outside on the porch. Ed and Al had a contest going earlier to see who could decorate their side the best and fastest. Ed lost because he kept trying to alleviate his itch on the rail. The balloons had to wait until they had a few more mouths to blow them up. Most of them never got a chance to be hung up because the kids started a big balloon fight in the living room.

The last one to show up was Cynthia and her mother. As soon as Al saw them coming up the pathway through the window he ran upstairs to hide. It was no secret that Cynthia had a huge crush on him. Every time they were together at school she would stare and giggle uncontrollably. A week ago Al overheard her tell a friend that she wants to make him her boyfriend. He was determined to never let her have the chance to ask.

It was almost two in the afternoon. Everyone was ready to sing happy birthday and eat, but the birthday girl still hadn't come down yet.

Trisha remembered Al going up the stairs a few minutes before, so she called out to him. "Al?"

Al came out of the upstairs bathroom where he had been hiding. "Um, yeah, Mom?"

"Could you ask Winry to come down? We're ready to start."

He looked across the hall to Winry's door wondering if she was okay. Al and his brother silently made an agreement not to talk about what happened the other day, especially in front of Winry. When she never bothered to come down and help they didn't mind. They were able to avoid another uncomfortable situation for at least a while longer.

"Okay," he answered. Slowly he stepped towards the door. When finally made it, he stood in front of it for a good long minute before deciding to turn the knob.

Al poked his head in. "Winry?"

He saw her in front of a full length mirror modeling her sleeveless lavender party dress. There was a soft pink tie in the back that matched the trim on the hem of the skirt and around the neck. She had on new sandals that matched her hair, which was up in its usual pony tail. Winry twirled to see the skirts fly around and tried a curtsy.

Al couldn't help but blush. She was so pretty.

Winry turned around when she saw him appear in the mirror showing her tired blue eyes. She managed a soft smile. "Hey, Al."

Al came in leaving the door slightly ajar. "Everybody's here. We're all waiting for you."

Winry noticed that his face was getting redder by the second. "Is my dress okay?"

"Yeah. It's very nice." Al quickly looked down at the floor attempting to hide the flush he felt on his cheeks.

"Thank you." Tears tried escape her eyes, but Winry swallowed and blinked them back. "Mom and Dad ordered it for me." She walked up to Al and took his hand. He looked up, still blushing. "I like the metal animals you and Ed made me."

Al was very aware of Winry's hand holding his and was unable to say anything. He'd always had a crush on her. Even after he and Ed ended their fight over who would marry her, they continued to compete for her attention. He thought of what Ed would do if he saw this. Most likely, he would flip.

Winry didn't mind not getting any response. She was just glad to see him again. Al's the first person she had seen besides her grandma in two days.

Still holding on to his hand, she leaned in and placed a soft kiss on Al's right cheek and could hear him trying to hold back a little squeak. She thought Al's reactions were so cute. There was no way Ed could ever be this sweet.

Winry pulled back. "Ready to go?"

"U-uh-huh," Said Al. He slipped his hand out of her grip.

They heard quick footsteps coming up the hallway and stop at the door. "What's taking so long! We can't eat until you come down!"

"Okay, Ed!" Winry's sudden outburst startled them. She pulled Al by the arm hurried downstairs and Ed impatiently followed.

Everyone clapped and cheered when they saw her. Her grandma led her to the kitchen table where the cake sat with eight lit candles on top. Vanilla icing; her favorite. Probably chocolate underneath. Winry suddenly felt hungry. It was the biggest cake she had ever seen. It had to be. There were almost forty people to feed.

She didn't want to cry again. Even with all these wonderful people standing around her, she still felt lonely.

Winry felt a tug on her dress and looked down.

"Guess what?" said Addison.

"What, Addi?" asked Winry.

"I'm four now!"

Some of the parents and older kids laughed. Winry had to smile. "I know."

Nelly pulled her away. "This isn't your birthday, Addi!"

Addi pushed her off. "So!"

"Alright," Pinako said, "It's time to sing!" She counted off and everyone began to sing.

Winry looked around for Edward. He was at the other end of the table barely singing at all and looking very grumpy. She was disappointed that he came with an attitude. She really missed seeing him.

Someone giggled to her right. Cynthia, with her dark brown curls and flowery dress, was staring at the nervous Alphonse on the other side of Winry.

The song ended and she blew her candles out. With that over, all the kids rushed outside for food. Ed was first in line.

-----

After dinner and cake, presents from each family that came were opened. They knew Winry was starting her automail training, so most of the gifts were things they thought she might need to help her along. Karl and his dad bought a set of bandanas she could even wear while she worked.

She also received a cute stuffed purple bear that sat on the top of the other presents unwrapped. As soon as Addi got done eating, she grabbed it and hurried over to Winry to give it to her before it was time.

Felix, who had been filling Winry in on the new knock-knock jokes he learned during dinner, gave her two joke books. Johanna and her little brother picked out two books Winry couldn't put down when they went to a town bookstore one time.

Sammy and Tommy decided to give some toys that she and Den could play with. Den was so excited he jumped on the twins licking their faces like a nut then took off with one of the toys to hide it in the upstairs hall closet.

There was some time left for playing a few games outside before going home. The parents sat on the porch talking as they watched the kids do a game of hide-and-seek. Cynthia was it and was counting on the porch rail while everyone else scattered.

Ed just came out from using the bathroom and was told to hide quickly by one of the boys. He stepped off the porch and looked around for a possible hiding place. On the stone wall that led to the house, he spotted Winry just sitting there. She wasn't really watching anything; just staring off into space at something unseen. The lavender dress she wore floated around her legs on the breeze like a cloud.

She was thinking about her parents. Winry wondered where they were right now, at this moment. It would be a while before they could have a proper funeral for them. Her parents' bodies had not come home from the East yet, and there was still wide open hole in her heart. If only they were safe and close by she could feel like fully rejoining the world again. Right now, it just hurt too much. None of the smiling faces and all the presents she got today were going to help, even Felix's jokes.

"What are you doing over here, Winry? Aren't ya gonna play?"

Winry looked down at Ed in front of her. He didn't have his pout face on anymore. The food must've been enough to make him happy and even forget that itch Al told her about. She wished she could've seen him rolling around like Den. It would've made her day just a little better.

"I don't really feel like it," She said.

Ed climbed up onto the wall and sat with her. "It's too bad. You're really good at this game." He looked around. "Hey, do you know where Al went to?"

"He's probably in that hole we made under the porch. It's a good thing 'cause Cynthia's it."

"She's the one who like Al, huh?" Ed snickered.

"Yeah," Winry giggled a bit herself. "I bet he'll stay there the whole time and never come out."

They spent the next few minutes poking fun at Cynthia, then fell silent enjoying the sunshine and the other kids playing.

"I'm sorry."

Winry turned to Ed. "What?"

Ed fidgeted looking down at his feet gently bouncing against the wall. "You don't have parents anymore. And me and Al made you mad that day. We just got scared when we thought of what it'd feel like losing Mom." He raised his head quickly to meet Winry's eyes. "I'd do anything to give you your family back!"

Winry knew he'd do if he could. His eyes were almost too intense to look at. She turned away from them. "You don't have to. You can't anyway. But, thank you." She allowed herself a little smile.

Ed felt relieved now. She wasn't mad at him.

"Did you know that Mom and Dad said that they wanted to have another baby when they came back?"

"Woah, really?"

Winry's smile turned brighter at Ed's response. "Yup! I was really hoping for a little sister, like Nelly has."

"Why not a little brother?" asked Ed.

"I already have you and Al! I need another girl around to even things out!"

"But, we aren't your brothers."

"I know you're not! But you're not just my friend…either…um…" Winry blushed. She just realized that didn't come out right.

Ed came up with an idea. "Would you want us to be your brothers?"

"Uh, well--"

"And you can be our sister."

"…Really?"

Ed held up a pinky. "Really. I promise to take care of you. I know Al would too."

Winry slowly raised up her pinky and linked it with his. "Okay. I promise to be your sister and take care of you and Al too."

"Like we would ever need to be taken care of!"

Winry pushed him playfully. "Yeah right. You still can't even get dressed by yourself!"

"Not true! Shoes look too much alike! So do shorts and shirts!" Ed defended, but it made Winry laugh so hard that he just let it be. She was so cute when she laughed.

"Ed! Winry! Help me! Hide me!" Al was running towards them as if his life depended on it. He scrambled up and over the wall never minding the scrapes he was getting.

"What's going on?" Ed asked.

Al crouched down. "It's Cynthia! She actually found me in that hole!"

"You mean the one under the porch?" said Winry.

"Yeah! I managed to lose her by running around the house. Please don't let her find me!" In a panic, Al covered his head. "I don't wanna be her boyfriend!"

"Don't worry, Al. We won't." Ed reassured his brother.

"Why don't you just tell her no?" asked Winry.

"He can't do that!" exclaimed Ed.

"But, why?"

"Because she's a girl! She won't take no for an answer!"

"That's right!" said Al. "Cynthia will think that if I let her ask it means yes!"

"Well, that's just stupid!" said Winry.

"What's so stupid?"

Ed and Winry jumped. They turned and saw Cynthia huffing and puffing, her curly brown her in a mess and her flower dress wrinkled up by running around in the wind.

Cynthia took a moment to catch her breath and asked, "Where's Al? I want to ask him something."

Ed and Winry looked at each other.

"Where is he!" Cynthia demanded.

Winry decided to end this once and for all. "Um, Cynthia--"

"--What?" she huffed.

Winry ignored her rudeness the best she could. "Al doesn't want to be your boyfriend."

"I didn't ask you!" Cynthia snapped. "Besides," she pointed at Ed, "You can't have two boyfriends!"

Ed went bright red. "WHAT!"

Winry was also a little pink in the face "He's not my boyfriend!" she yelled. "Neither is Al yours!"

Cynthia's green eyes flashed at her. "He's behind the wall, isn't he!" She stomp up to the wall and climbed up between Ed and Winry to find Al still huddling on the other side. "You will be my boyfriend, won't you?"

Al looked up at her then Winry. Winry was shaking her head no. He looked back at Cynthia. "No, I won't." He sounded like he was whining.

"Don't do what the birthday girl tells you to do!"

"But Cynthia, I don't want to."

"See!" Ed exclaimed. ""He doesn't want to! Now go away!"

"Shut up, Ed! C'mon, you don't really mean that, do you Al?" Cynthia was practically begging him to say so.

"I do mean it. I'm sorry." said Al.

Cynthia didn't say anything else. It just hit her. Al didn't want to be her boyfriend. She hopped off the wall and quickly walked back to the house.

Al got up. "Cynthia?"

"Don't call her!" said Ed. "We don't want her to come back!"

Winry watched Cynthia go inside thinking about the hurt look on her face. Al wasn't mean to her or anything, but it probably didn't feel good knowing that someone you like so much didn't like you in the same way.

-----

By the time the sun went down everyone had gone home except for the Elrics. They spent the evening helping Pinako and Winry cleaning up. It would've waited until tomorrow, but Pinako had some new customers coming by the next day. Winry was told that she didn't have to clean, just to put her presents up and get out of her dress so it wouldn't get dirty. Ed and Al popped all the balloons that weren't taken home by the other kids by sitting on them. Al was much better at it than his brother. Ed kept missing them and hurting himself on the floor.

All of them ate leftovers at the table together when they were done. Winry didn't say much, but she felt happier than she did in a long while. They really did look like a family.

Trisha looked at the clock hanging on the kitchen wall. "Okay, boys, lets get going. It's almost bedtime." They didn't protest. It had been a busy day.

Winry, on the other hand, felt her stomach drop. She didn't want them to leave. Quickly she jump out of her chair. "Uh, grandma? Can Ed and Al stay over tonight?"

"But Winry, its late," said her grandma, a little surprised.

"I know, but they'll be here tomorrow anyway. We could do a sleepover in the living room! Please, grandma?" Winry put hands together.

Pinako looked over to Trisha. Trisha looked down at her boys. They pleaded with their faces knowing that a sleepover meant they didn't have to walk back home. "Well," she said, "We'd have to borrow some blankets and something to sleep in, but I guess we could stay. I'm a little too tired to walk back myself."

Ed and Al jumped around and headed upstairs for pillows and blankets. Winry was smiling from ear to ear and went up herself to get ready for bed.

Pinako was just happy to see her smiling again. She got from the table and began to clear it off. "I'll find something of Sara's for you to sleep in, Trisha. I'm sure she wouldn't mind."

Trisha helped. "Are you doing all right? You'll be raising Winry all by yourself now, and I'm sure the past couple of days haven't been easy."

"Ha!" Pinako laughed, "Don't you worry about me. If you can take care of those two energetic boys, then I bet an 'old bat' like me can handle my granddaughter. She's just starting her training and picking up things quick. I'll only have to worry about keeping her busy with new things to learn."

"That's good to hear. I wish I could do the same for my boys. Books can only teach them so much." Trisha sat the dishes on the counter while Pinako filled the sink with water.

"That reminds me," Pinako was hesitant to ask, "When is Hohenheim coming back?"

"I don't know," Trisha said softly. Her head was still pounding from cleaning up earlier. For the past couple of years the headaches have been getting progressively worse, but they didn't always happen after doing chores or any other hard work. Sometimes, they just happen for no reason at all. Strangely, they only started after Hohenheim left.

"Are you alright, Trisha?"

"Hm?" She noticed that Pinako was speaking to her. "Yeah, just tired."

Pinako listened to the thumping coming from above. It traveled across the ceiling and came tumbling down the stairs ending in a great bang.

"OUC--!" Something muffled the cry.

"Ed!"

She sighed and asked Trisha to take over the sink so she could check on the boys.

Ed had tripped halfway down and landed on his back with all the blankets on top of him. Pinako scolded him for running, then grabbed the blankets and walked to the living room.

Al carefully walked down the last few steps with a pillow in each arm. "I told you not to run!"

"Shut up, Al." Ed sat up to catch his breath. Al ignored the comment and went to help set up their sleeping space.

Winry came down in her night gown and with her own pillow. Seeing Ed sitting on the floor trying to breathe, she helped him up. "Dork. Your shoes on the wrong feet again?"

"I'm not wearing any shoes!" Ed said breathing a little easier now. He glared at her.

"Just your feet then? You're such a klutz."

"No I'm not!"

"Yes you are!" Winry giggled and hit him with her pillow. Ed chased her into the living room jumping on the couches and ignoring Pinako's threats.

-----

Winry snuggled into the thick blankets and watched the clouds pass over the crescent moon in the window. Her grandmother's voice echoed softly in the kitchen as she talked to Trisha. Al was behind her slowly breathing, indicating that he was in a deep sleep. She was facing Ed who had his back to her making it hard to tell in the dark if he too was asleep.

"Hey, Ed. You still awake?" Whispered Winry.

"Hmhmm." Ed slowly turned over. "What do ya want?" He mumbled.

"You really meant it when you said you'd be here for me?"

Ed yawned. "Of course."

"You won't leave like Mom and Dad, will you?"

"Why would we want to?"

"So…you won't?"

"Stop worrying so much." Ed reached out and grabbed Winry's hand from underneath the covers. "We're not going anywhere. And if we do, we'll take you with us."

"Really?" Winry squeezed his hand.

Ed squeezed back. "Really. Now go to sleep." With that, he pulled the covers over his head with his free hand.

Winry waited for him to let go. After a few minutes, Ed's grip loosened. He had fallen asleep. She gave another squeeze, then slowly withdrew her hand under her own covers, silently thanking him.

* * *

A/N: Yes! I'm finally done! Sorry folks. School's beating the crap out of me right now. In a couple more weeks it won't be a problem anymore. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed it. I realize I introduced a lot of characters, and you will get to know more about them later on. So review everybody! NB 


	3. Dreams and Apologies

Childhood's End

By: Neptune Butterfly

Chapter Two: Dreams and Apologies

Winry tried not to swing her legs too much. Her feet barely touched the floor of the kitchen from where she sat, and their constant urge to move was compromising her concentration.

Granny Pinako had given her an old automail arm to examine and take apart. Winry was getting tired of looking at books of human anatomy and merely observing her grandmother's work. But Pinako was way too busy today trying to fill in a large number of orders that came as a result of the Ishbal War finally coming to an end. So, she dug up something for her granddaughter to work on herself.

The arm's outer shell was beaten up and rusted, and the wiring inside looked like it had been chewed on, but everything was in its rightful place. It was fascinating enough to Winry who had never been allowed to handle a completed piece on her own before.

She made a face as she took out the rusty screws and lifted the plating like a hood of a car to look inside. Her hands poked around the gizmos that had the ability to bring the arm to life, trying to remember which did what her fingers traced each wire and each gear. The early June heat filtered thru every open window, and there was no breeze. Everything felt sticky and sweaty and made Winry's urge to swing her legs even stronger.

A knock from the front door echoed throughout the first floor. Winry's blonde head popped up.

There was another knock.

"I'll get it!!" She ran into the living room to open the door.

Winry had been expecting Ed and Al to come by. Excitedly she threw the door open. Instead of two blonde heads there was a pair of blue pants lined in silver.

"Oh, excuse me, young miss."

Winry looked up and saw the face of a soldier.

The man took off his hand and smiled, but before he could say another word the little girl's face before him, smudged with grease yet smiling in anticipation a second before, changed to horror.

"Granny!!!" Winry turned around and screamed. She ran off to the back of the house leaving the front door wide open and a stunned officer standing in it.

From the back he could here an older woman's voice scolding the child. The man didn't quite understand what had made her so scared of him, but the news he was carrying was a good enough reason to be.

Just as he thought that it might be better for him to leave he spotted the older woman quickly walking toward him. Her granddaughter, he assumed, hid away in a back room. Her blonde hair appeared from the side of a doorframe.

She was watching him.

Pinako strode up to the soldier. "What business do you have here?" she angrily demanded.

The man was taken aback by this small woman. She certainly had no fear of him.

Keeping his composure the officer asked, "Are you Pinako Rockbell, Ma'am?"

"Yes?"

He handed her an envelope. "I'm here to inform you that the bodies of your son and his wife will be arriving within the next week. Feel free to make arrangements."

The envelope slipped out of his hand slowly.

Pinako slit it open to view the letter inside. The anger inside of her subsided and pain overtook it.

The officer could not make out any emotion on her face, but her eyes gave her away. "I'm truly sorry, ma'am." He put his hat back on. "This is one of the hardest jobs I have to do."

He looked towards the back room again. The girl's blue eyes were still on him.

The officer gave his farewell to the grandmother, tipped his hat, and walked off the porch to the path leading from the house. He had seen many faces react to the messages he brought them, but the little blue-eyed girl's face will always stick out in his mind.

It's the same place, over and over.

The same sandy beach where she took her last vacation with her parents.

The sun was warm and shining up above, reflecting off the whiteness under her bare feet. She held on to a sun hat too big for her head with both hands to keep the strong wind from stealing it away. It's pink ribbon whipped around violently along with her hair. Through the loud gust in her ears she could hear the surf but couldn't see the water.

A pair of strong hands were felt around her waist. They picked her up and swung her around. She squealed at the sensation it made in her stomach. She lowered her head a bit to look into her dad's eyes.

Blue. Just like hers. And they were laughing with her.

She looked around in search of another person. Her mom appeared to move from one side to the other like viewing from a carousel.

Her dad took her into his arms and she laid her head on his shoulder. The hat she was wearing suddenly flew off, but her mom caught in time and put it on. They walked together down the beach as the sun dimmed and filled the now visible ocean with sparkly gold.

All they did was smile at each other. She wished they would say something. She was already forgetting the sound of their voices.

Instead, she heard a bunch of children's voices break through. One of them was continuously calling her name.

Nelly shook her friend harder but got only moans. She looked to Ed who was sitting across the isle with Al.

Ed grabbed one of his school books and slammed it against the table near Winry's head.

BAM

Winry, startled out of her dream, searched for the source of the noise with bleary eyes.

Everyone was talking at once inside the one room schoolhouse. Winry couldn't tell if it was morning, recess, or almost time to go home. The large windows on either side had their blinds shut.

"You okay, Winry?" Nelly asked.

"Huh?" She couldn't register the question.

"You were making weird noises and drooling in your sleep, like this." Ed laid down on his table desk and did his best imitation.

Winry heard a snicker from behind. Cynthia pretended to read a book while trying not to laugh out loud. Winry ignored her and, wiping off the drool from her mouth, directed her glare at Ed instead.

He shrugged. "What?"

"You didn't have to do that!" She was referring to the book in his hand realizing that was how he woke her up.

"But you were completely out!" said Nelly. "I called your name for three minutes!"

"Oh." Winry stared at the floor for a second to reflect. This wasn't the first time she had a hard time waking up from the dream. She had been dreaming it over and over ever since the soldier came to her house and wondered; was this her parents' way of saying they were okay?

"Hey, Win."

She looked back up at Nelly.

"Are you up to going down to the river next weekend, right after our finals? Johanna and Erik said they found something interesting. I already asked Rachel, Felix, and the twins, and I'm hoping to get a few more to come. Ed and Al said they would only come if you would."

Winry turned to Ed who squirmed in his seat not looking at her. Al on the other hand was anxious to know. "So, will ya come?"

"I guess." Winry hadn't been out much since her birthday over a month ago, being so absorbed in her automail training.

"Great!" Nelly stood up. "Hey, Johanna!" she called out to a tall, dark-haired girl in a blue dress and pink scarf near the back of the room, "Winry says she'll come too!"

"Get Leon and Karl too, if you can!" Johanna called back.

"And Hannah?"

"Yeah! Her too!"

"'Kay." Nelly turned around and sat back down. "You can come too, Cynthia," she said, not bothering to look behind her, "If you leave Al alone."

Nelly didn't get an answer, just a gathering of books into a bag and a chair shove. Cynthia walked to the door at the back and stood there waiting with a black-haired girl named Wanda.

"Man, I hope she doesn't show up." Ed gathered his own books just in time for the bell sounding the end of the day. He and Al waited as patiently as they could while Winry, who was still a bit dazed, took her time.

Nelly took off with a quick goodbye so she could get a good seat on Mr. Edelweiss' wagon. Rachel's father, a well known horse breeder, drove home kids who lived far from the school. Nelly's wasn't too far for her to walk, but the free ride was much appreciated and Mr. Edelweiss didn't mind taking her at all.

Kids were still loading the wagon when Ed, Al, and Winry finally stepped out into the afternoon sun. They waved to them and to a big man with red hair as bright as Rachel's fiery braids and emerald green eyes to match readying the two horses.

Mrs. Edelweiss the head teacher and principal along with the other teachers, Mr. and Mrs. Kohlen, was shooing out the stragglers from the schoolhouse and yard because of an early summer storm on the horizon. It was much needed rain after a very dry spell but not something they wanted to get caught outside in.

Winry and the Elrics followed the stone wall towards their homes as the trees sang and danced in the failing sunlight as much as they could before the dark clouds took it away. Winry stayed especially close to Ed clinging to his arm, afraid of the rumbles echoing in the darkness that followed behind them.

"Quit hanging onto me like that, Winry!" Ed jerked his arm out of her grasp when she started squeezing too hard. "No wonder why everybody thinks we're boyfriend and girlfriend!"

"Sorry," Winry said in a small whine. But she remained close cringing at each new rumble.

Al came up beside her and put a concerned hand on her shoulder. "You want us to walk you home? We'll stay until the storm's over."

Winry's blue eyes pleaded with Ed until he took off, saying, "We better hurry up then."

Within the next minute, fat droplets patted their heads and all three broke into a dead run. They were almost to the Rockbell house when those droplets turned into thick sheets of rain. Pinako had opened the front door just in time before a bright streak of lightning cracked open the sky. Poor Winry screamed and tripped through the doorway landing on top of Al who unfortunately had his back to her. Ed stopped just in time from adding himself to the pile.

"Gracious, Winry!! Get a hold of yourself!" Pinako pulled her hysterical granddaughter off of Al. "Go sit yourself down in the kitchen. Ed, get your brother off the floor."

Ed did as he was told and led Al to the kitchen as well to let him catch his breath.

The rain came down steadily now, and the thunder and lightening was less frequent. Pinako had called Trisha to let her know her boys were staying for a while until the weather let up. Winry was much calmer now and had led Ed and Al off to play cards in her room. It was the only place she ever felt safe during a thunderstorm.

They sat on the floor playing Go Fish as Den sat on Winry's bed appearing to be absorbed in the game. His tail thumped lightly on the window sill whenever someone said 'go fish!'

It was Winry's turn to shuffle the cards when Ed curiously asked, "What did you dream about at school today?"

"Why do you want to know?" Winry asked.

"It must have been a good dream. Like Nelly said, it took forever for you to wake up."

Winry straightened out the deck of cards in her hand, then slowly dealt them out. "It was Mom and Dad," she said, wistfully, "And the beach we went to two years ago, before they went away."

Ed and Al exchanged glances. They had hoped to avoid the sensitive subject. The funeral was tomorrow, and that was depressing enough.

"Well, did you have fun?" Al inquired as if the events of the dream had actually taken place as Winry dreamed it.

"Yeah, but, they didn't say a word."

"Not one word?"

Winry shook her head. The cards laid forgotten on the floor were they were dealt. No more patters on the window indicated that the rain was finally letting up, but neither of the boys moved.

"Ed? Al? Do you think, do you think that, Mom and Dad are happy? I mean, are they…" Winry's eyes welled up.

Al scooted his small body over to her and put on a gentle smile. "I'm sure they are. It'll be okay, Winry. You can at least dream about them."

Winry buried her head in her hands for another good sob. She hadn't realized that she even had one left in her.

Ed sat across from them gathering up his own cards and saying nothing. He couldn't stand listening to Winry cry like that, but he was afraid that he couldn't comfort her like Al could. And his own understanding of death was so different from theirs. To him, death was final. There was no such thing as messages from beyond the grave.

But he didn't have the heart to say that to a grieving friend. Especially after what happened last time.

Ed thought of how he cried when he imagined losing his own mother.

"I found it!!!" Erik's voice rang out. He and a group of his fellow schoolmates gathered around a large pile of smooth river rocks carefully placed on the bank.

The violent thunderstorms from the past week had loosened a few rocks from the bottom threatening the small structure. Fearing that whatever lay beneath could wash away, Erik hoped that the rocks would hold at least until he was able to visit again. Whoever put it there either didn't expect to be gone very long or had forgotten it altogether. Erik believed it to be the latter. Besides, the suspense was killing him.

Ed, Al, and Karl, all dirty from playing by the river, crowded him in to get a better look while Leon and Felix hung back a bit, tempted by going off and joining the twins fishing downstream. Winry, Nelly, and Hannah in summer dresses and Rachel in her usual overalls stood behind looking over the boys' heads.

Johanna, careful with her dress, knelt down and helped her brother take the rocks down one by one revealing what first appeared to be just dirt, but there was something strange about it.

"Looks like a hole," Karl pointed out.

Erik grew even more excited. "Does anybody have something I can dig with?"

"Here." Hannah pulled out a play shovel she was using to make sandcastles with.

The wet dirt easily gave way at first, and Erik dug away at it eagerly until after a couple of minutes he struck something hard.

"This is it!" He dropped the toy shovel and started removing the last of the dirt with his hands.

It was a rock, and it was big. Erik wriggled his nose and attempted to loosen it. Ed and Al joined in trying to dig around the rock, but it just wouldn't budge.

"Its probably just a rock," Leon said disinterested. He got up and motioned to Felix to do the same. "Those stones were probably just a marker. There are plenty of them scattered all over the by hikers."

"Uh uh, no way! This one was different! Why was there a hole under them, huh?" Erik was reluctant to admit there was nothing special about his find.

Felix shrugged. "Sorry. Who knows? It might've been the rain that did it. Anyone else coming with us? Sam and Tom said the fish were jumping."

The girls declined and went back to making castles in their sandy patch by the river. Karl expressed some interest but decided to stay, so the two took off leaving the rest to ponder the immovable stone.

"Man, I wish Siv was here." Erik tugged some more on the rock.

"I asked him to come, but he has to babysit Denise," said Karl who joined Ed and Al in digging the rock out.

"Hey, maybe Al can find a kitty and lure them out here!" Ed joked. The boys laughed knowing how much Sylvester's little sister loved cats, and Al who had a knack for finding them.

They kept at it for about an hour, but still not luck. They asked the girls for help, and Rachel volunteered. But even the red head couldn't make the stone move and threw a few obscenities at it, which made Johanna mad and get onto her about saying such things in front of her little brother.

Exhausted and defeated, the boys left the stone uncovered and headed downstream where the rest were fishing on a pier just over a calmer part of the river in hopes of getting in a good swim before dinner. All the girls followed behind with their pails and digging tools. None of them swam but sat lazily on the edge dipping their feet into the water and watching the boys splash each other.

The twins were right. Fish were jumping everywhere. Some of the boys jumped and squeaked each time one flew by them, seen as only a silvery flash of light in the sun.

Winry laid back on the riverbank and closed her eyes feeling the gentle wind washing over her body. The sensation reminded her of the dream she kept having.

During the funeral a week ago, several military men had stopped by and told their stories of how they were saved by the her parent's heroic efforts. Winry remembered one lady in particular, just a teenager, with short blonde hair who said they saved her life more than once. Her smile and pretty blue eyes were darkened by sadness and the loss of innocence Winry hoped she would never have to understand.

After the ceremony while she was sitting on a folding chair Winry approached her and asked who she was waiting for. She seemed to be looking beyond the activity in the cemetery expecting something. 'I guess, no one' was her reply. Then she smiled that same sad smile, apologized for Winry's loss and asked how she was doing turning their attention to happier things.

Out of all the officers there, that lady was the only one that didn't scare her.

Winry heard Johanna's voice interrupt her thoughts. "You look happy."

"Hm?" Winry opened her eyes. She saw her friend's hazel-eyed face hovering above her. Johanna's long dark hair that she envied, tied back under the pink scarf she always wore, hung over her shoulder and swung lightly in the wind.

"You've been so down. And you keep falling asleep in school." Johanna understandably knew why. "Are you happy?"

"Kinda. I can visit Mom and Dad now." It was a relief to Winry to know where they were now.

"And they helped a lot of people. I couldn't count all the soldiers that came last weekend!"

And the blonde-haired lady especially, Winry thought. She just realized she'd never asked for her name.

The sound of quick padded steps heading towards the bank made them turn. Hannah came up to them with a distraught look on her face. "I can't find my clip!" She frantically grabbed the left side of her short wavy brown hair to show where the clip would've been.

"I told you not to wear them!" Johanna scolded. It was a daisy shaped clip that matched the one she had over her right ear. They were Hannah's favorite.

Poor Hannah's gentle green eyes were welling up. She knew she was in big trouble now.

"Don't start," Johanna sighed and got up and took her friend's hand. "C'mon, lets go look for it. I'll see you later Winry."

"Alright."

Winry noticed that the sun was getting low. She was supposed to help with dinner, since the Pendletons were planning on stopping by. They were the largest family in Risembool and owned the majority of the land in the area. Although it was just going to be Hannah's parents and her siblings, that made six more mouths to feed.

"I guess I better get going." Winry got up and waved to the boys and Nelly and Rachel who were helping out with the fish.

"Look what we got!!!" The twins yelled in unison. They pointed to a number of small fish Nelly was holding up.

"Hey, I need help here!" Felix called out behind them.

He struggled with his line, but it broke suddenly. Felix just stared at the remainder of the string dandling from his pole.

"Aww man, that stinks! It looked like a whopper too!" commented Leon who sat right beside him.

Winry left them lamenting over what would've been their prize catch and ran up the bank towards her house. Just as she stepped onto the road she saw someone coming around the bend.

It was Cynthia. What she was doing so far from home all by herself at this time of day was beyond Winry. I couldn't be to join the rest of the kids at the river.

Cynthia picked up her already fast pace once she spotted Winry.

Winry waited for Cynthia until she stopped and stared at her with a sour look. "What?"

Cynthia thrust a yellowish envelop into Winry's face. "Here."

"What is it?" Winry asked.

"How should I know? I don't look in other people's mail," Cynthia said defensively.

Winry ignored her tone. "But why did you bring it and not Mr. Wurzbach?"

"Leon's dad forgot it to deliver it earlier, and he's really busy at the train station right now. Mom made me do it because we're at the Hensley's right now."

That made sense. Cynthia's parents were in charge of transporting local farmer's goods. They were probably seeing about how big this year's crop might turn out.

"Um, thanks." Winry took the envelop.

"Oh, and, uh, Winry?" Cynthia suddenly turned bashful. "Sorry."

"Huh?" Winry was confused.

Cynthia squirmed. It was unusual to see her unable to answer right away.

"At your party. Mom told me to. I won't bug Al anymore. But that doesn't mean we're friends!" Her voice raised in confidence at the last line.

That sounded more like her. Winry smiled her thanks and headed home feeling good about today. She couldn't imagine what could break her mood.

As Winry walked through the kitchen door, Granny Pinako called out from the work room for her to get washed up. She skipped up the stairs two at a time and down the hall to drop off the envelop in her room. At the last moment Winry decided to open it before heading off to the bathroom.

There was no return address, so she tore envelop and took out the piece of paper inside. Something fell to the floor as she unfolded the letter.

It was a picture of her and Den. Winry picked it up noticing a strange red stain at the bottom left corner. It must've been from one of her parents' distant friends or relatives. The only one she could think of that would have this picture would be her mother's cousin who lived on the other side of the country. She visited shortly before her parents left for Ishbal.

Then Winry turned attention to the letter and began to read.

-----

Dear Winry,

This won't be easy for you, but it's important that you know the truth. I knew your parents. There's nothing I can do to repay them for what they've done. They saved my life and the life of someone I love. I didn't come their funeral because I don't know if I could face the daughter of real heroes. The reason is because I know how they really died. It wasn't the Ishbalans, who where just as grateful for their presence as we were. It was me, a soldier of Amestris, who killed your parents. I received an order to eliminate them because the Ishbalans were using their hospital as a place to trade information. It doesn't excuse what I have done. I took your parents away from you, and the inspiration of so many people. Very few know what I've done, and I believe you should be one of them. I understand if you never forgive me. I can't even forgive myself.

-----

'There's no name,' Winry thought over and over. She knew what it said. She didn't need to read it again. 'Where was the name? There has to be a name!'

* * *

A/N: I'm not dead, just dealing with life. I do plan to eventually go back an revise earlier chapters, so please comment and tell me how I'm doing. Also, I am planning on doing artwork for this and my other stories. They will be posted on my deviantArt page. The link is on my profile page.-NB- 


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